Smoke clung to my lungs like a claw. The entrance to the orphanage was blocked by the loud collapse of a burning wooden beam. Flames licked the gray stone walls, turning the stones into a crimson hell. The air was thick with suffocating heat; sweat ran from my forehead into my eyes, blurring my vision. The smell of burning wood stung my throat like a knife with every breath. But only one thing was on my mind: the Rock and Mountain Absorption Method in the attic. That book was my ticket out of this cursed place. I could not leave such a treasure to the flames.
My steps slipped on the stone floor as the roar of the fire echoed in my ears like a battle cry. The corridor narrowed like a trap; sparks flew from the walls to my right, while a collapsing shelf on the left blocked the way with scattered wooden pieces. I held my breath and pressed my shirt sleeve to my mouth, trying to filter the smoke. My heart pounded like a war drum in my chest. I ran towards the stairs, but a wooden plank broke off above me. It crashed to the floor with a loud noise, and the flames licked my leg. I gritted my teeth in pain but did not stop. The book was worth everything.
When I reached the end of the corridor, the attic stairs were in front of me. But the orphanage was like a living beast; the walls cracked and the beams groaned. The stone wall to my right collapsed; a cloud of dust and smoke swallowed my vision. I coughed and dropped to the ground, feeling the floor with my hands. My fingers touched hot stones; my skin was burning from the heat. Another beam broke above me, falling aflame and splitting the corridor in two. "Damn it!" I muttered, my voice strange even to my own ears. Crawling on my knees, I passed through the flames; my shirt caught fire, but I quickly smacked my back to put it out.
A long corridor stretched ahead. Part of it led to the children's dormitory, but right where lightning had struck, the floor had collapsed. A black, deep pit blocked my way. I cursed, gritting my teeth, and ran with all my strength. As I approached the pit, my lungs burning, I made one last leap forward. I barely reached the other side, my feet hitting the ground. But the bricks underfoot began to collapse like dominoes. My foot struck a burning piece of wood; my pinky toe burned and a sharp pain shot through it as if it would break. I tumbled to the ground, coughing as smoke filled my lungs. But I could not stop. I got up quickly and dragged my leg to the stairs at the end of the corridor.
Climbing the stairs was torture with every step. The smoke burned my eyes; flames scorched my back. When I reached the attic, I saw Marin. She lay on the ground, a burnt wooden plank on her chest. Her tiny body was barely visible through the smoke. Her blonde hair was covered in dust and ashes; her blue eyes shone with fear, but there was a faint smile on her lips. "I knew my big brother would come to help me," she said, her voice weak but trembling with faith. Those blue eyes were like a spring lake in the middle of this hell; pure, hopeful, as if beyond all this chaos there was salvation. Marin's smile was a light for me in this filthy world; her laughter during stone games, her serious prayers, her little hands tugging my shirt… She was the only thing that reminded me I was human in this cursed place.
But at that moment, a storm broke inside me. My heart clenched like a fist in my chest. Should I save Marin or take the book? On one side of the scale was my survival in this cursed world, my fate in the orphanage, my desires. The Rock and Mountain Absorption Method gave me a chance to break the chains of this world; escape the Church's oppression, this suffocating prison, this meaningless existence. The book was a promise; perhaps the key to gather the broken pieces of my past life and make me whole again. On the other side was Marin. Little, innocent Marin. Her joy was the only comfort in this bleak orphanage. Her smile was like a flower defying the gray stones of this world. But this world showed no mercy. If I tried to save Marin, I might lose the book. And without the book, this second chance of mine would be nothing.
My mind was like a swamp; every thought dragged me deeper. Why was I here? Why was I reborn? In my previous life, everything had been taken from me; laboratories, theses, dreams… My score with God was even, but this world seemed to test me again. Was saving Marin preserving my humanity or weakness? Was taking the book selfishness or survival instinct? Every breath, the smoke filled my lungs, gnawing at my brain with these questions. Marin's eyes looked at me with hope; in those eyes, I saw every loss from my previous life for a moment. But those same eyes were the last tether binding me to this world. And I chose to cut that tether.
I hesitated for a few seconds. Marin's smile slowly began to fade. "I knew my big brother would come to help me," she had said, but now doubt appeared in her eyes. I gritted my teeth; every feeling inside me screamed as I rushed toward the stairs. Marin's face instantly filled with fear. "BROTHER, PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME, I BEG YOU!" she shouted, her voice cut off by coughing. "PLEASE, BROTHER, STOP!" Her voice stabbed my heart like a knife; every word opened a wound inside me. Her little hands waved helplessly in the air, as if trying to pull me back. Her blue eyes, filled with fear, overflowed with tears that left trails on her cheeks. That hope, that pure faith, was shattered in an instant. Marin's scream was drowned by the roar of the flames, but I did not stop. Fueled by adrenaline, I rushed to the attic.
When I reached the attic, the world stopped. Lightning had struck right on the book. The Rock and Mountain Absorption Method was now nothing but a pile of ashy pages. It was like a mountain had collapsed on me; my knees trembled and I collapsed to the ground. The emptiness wrapped me like poison. Fatigue, anger, helplessness… Everything was meaningless. That book was supposed to be my salvation; my escape from this cursed world, the chains of the Church, the ghosts of my past. But now, there was only ash. Everything I had done, every step, every breath, had been for nothing. And worst of all, I had abandoned Marin for this. Her screams still echoed in my ears; those blue eyes, full of fear, looked at me like a curse. For what? For a handful of ash? This world had deceived me again. My score with God was now 1-2.
My mind was a vortex. Why was I alive? Why did this second chance only end in another defeat? In my previous life, everything was taken from me; now, in this world, I was destroying everything with my own hands. Marin's smile, that pure hope, had been crushed by my selfishness. Maybe this was how the world worked; hope was just a trap. Maybe I was already cursed. Looking up at the sky, I screamed; my voice was lost in the roar of the flames. But inside me, something cracked. Everything was nothing.
At that moment, a spark of hope flickered inside me; faint, trembling, but for a moment overshadowing everything else. I had seen the book turn to ash; the Rock and Mountain Absorption Method was now just a handful of dust. Marin's screams echoed in my ears; those blue eyes, full of fear, had looked at me like a curse. But hope, damn hope, burned inside me like fire. Maybe she was alive, I told myself. Maybe I still had a chance. Without thinking, I jumped down the stairs swallowed by flames. My skin danced with fire; my flesh burned from the heat, smoke poisoned my lungs. But I did not care. I had to save Marin.
Flames surrounded me like a cage. With every step, my shirt caught fire; sparks burning my back. The corridor was like a tunnel of hell; stone walls glowing red, beams cracking. When I reached where Marin lay, I barely made out her tiny body through the smoke. Her blonde hair was covered in ash; her blue eyes were closed, tear stains dried on her cheeks. The burnt wooden plank on her chest lay like an executioner. I knelt down, clutching the wood with my hands. "DAMN IT, STUPID THING, GET UP!" I shouted, my voice drowned in the roar of the flames. But the wood was as heavy as a rock, not moving an inch. My hands burned, my skin peeling from the heat, but I did not give up. Still, it did not move.
At that moment, a lightning bolt flashed in my mind. The lines of the Rock and Mountain Absorption Method that I had secretly read in the attic for years spun like a storm in my brain. Spiritual energy, meridians, cycles… Before the age of twenty, stepping on this path was forbidden; a power the body could not handle, that could shatter the soul. But I had no choice. For Marin, for that little glimmer of hope, I had to try. I closed my eyes and gathered every drop of willpower inside me. And then, I felt it.
My body burned as if pierced by thousands of needles. My throat felt like I had swallowed molten iron. My bones cracked, my flesh charred, my veins throbbed as if they would burst. The agony was indescribable; it was as if my soul was torn from my body and thrown into a hellish abyss. But at the same time, there was something else. Power. Wild, uncontrollable, magnificent power I had never felt before. It was as if a god had injected fire into my veins. My arms trembled as if they could move mountains. My eyes saw everything with crystal clarity even through the flames. This was life itself; raw, merciless, magnificent. For a moment, feeling this power was worth everything. The agony was a song; every scream, every burn made me freer.
I clung to the plank. My fingers burned through melting skin down to the bone, but I did not care. Power exploded inside me like a volcano. The plank flew into the air like a feather, but this was only the beginning. The entire floor of the orphanage exploded at once. Stone walls shattered; beams flew skyward; flames spread like a storm. The explosion was like a monster's roar; wild, uncontrolled, magnificent. Those hiding around screamed and fled behind trees. Some were crushed by flying stones; blood mixed with smoke, bodies piled up on the ground. But I watched this as a work of art. This chaos was my creation. This destruction was proof of my power. A psychopathic pleasure filled me; it was as if the world had bowed to my fury.
I held Marin in my arms. Her tiny body was light as a feather. I jumped out the window and when I hit the ground, my legs shattered like embers, turning to ashes. But a second later, that power kicked in. My legs reshaped as if sculpted by a master. With every step, my bones cracked, my flesh tore, then healed instantly. The agony was like a waterfall; every second felt like hours, days. But this pain kept me alive. Marin's rescue was my only purpose. White-robed men surrounded us; young, bulky, faces cold as stone. I handed Marin's tiny body to them, delivering her to safety. And at that moment, as if my body had been waiting for this, I collapsed.
I faced countless pains. My body felt like it was splitting into a thousand pieces; every cell burned in a separate hell. But then, I heard a voice. "Unfortunately, sir, the root of the soul is already burnt. No recovery…" The voice stabbed my brain like a dagger. I tried to speak, but my throat was locked. My body froze like a stone statue. My eyes slowly dimmed. I did not want to die. I did not want to die again. In my previous life, everything was taken from me; now, in this world, I had destroyed my second chance with my own hands. I had come back for Marin, but it was too late. Her blue eyes that once shone with hope were now closed, and once again, I had lost everything.
Regret gnawed at me like poison. I had risked everything to save Marin, but it was only an illusion. Power had made me feel like a god for a moment, but now, I was nothing. Death was knocking at my door, and I wanted to resist. I wanted to survive, to leave a mark in this cursed world. But at the same time, this regret was suffocating me. Marin's screams, the ashes of the book, my selfishness… Everything was a vortex consuming my mind. Maybe this was the punishment I deserved. Maybe this world was just a curse. I closed my eyes once again, crushed by the unbearable weight of my mistakes. The flames around me dimmed; my body gave way. My last thought was a silent prayer: "Forgive me, Marin."